Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

To break Joanna Kennedy of her bad habit of always eating instant noodles, Mindy Morgan had her assistant deliver fresh ingredients every three days. The refrigerator was now fully stocked with meat and vegetables.

They didn’t need to cook much for just two people. With the rice steaming in the rice cooker, Simon Lockwood took fresh green beans and pork belly from the fridge.

He was very skilled in the kitchen, so Joanna Kennedy couldn’t be of much help. Still, feeling that she shouldn’t leave a guest alone in the kitchen, she decided to wash the vegetables.

The kitchen was spacious, more than enough for two people, yet for some reason, Joanna Kennedy found it crowded.

The man beside her was tall, with a sharp, handsome profile that overlapped with a handsome but hazy face in her memory. Joanna Kennedy subconsciously clenched her fists.

A green bean made a crisp snapping sound in her hand. Flustered, Joanna Kennedy loosened her grip, but the man didn’t react, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

’Right, his hearing aid can’t pick up such a faint sound.’

A pang, neither light nor heavy, struck her heart. Joanna Kennedy murmured, ”Simon Lockwood...”

Her voice was very soft, drowned out by the sizzle of oil. Simon Lockwood only caught a faint sound. ”What?” he asked, his voice low and gentle.

The man raised his hand to adjust his hearing aid but stopped abruptly when he realized his hands were wet. Instead, he bent down, as if that would help him hear what she was saying.

Joanna Kennedy felt her heart had been scalded by a spatter of hot oil from the pan—a burning, uncomfortable sensation. She didn’t like this feeling.

”...It’s nothing.” Joanna Kennedy forced a smile, her tone light. ”The property management should be here by the time we finish eating.”

Simon Lockwood’s movements faltered for a moment before he returned to normal. ”Mm...”

Half an hour later, two dishes and a soup were served. Joanna Kennedy hung her jacket from the sofa on the balcony, only coming out a few minutes later.

Simon Lockwood naturally scooped rice into a bowl. As he went to hand it to her, she subtly sidestepped the gesture. Joanna Kennedy waggled the bowl in her own hand and said with a smile, ”I can get it myself.”

Her smile was lovely, but it radiated a distinct politeness. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but Joanna Kennedy’s attitude seemed even more distant and cold than when they had first met.

After a long moment, Simon Lockwood finally withdrew his hand and placed the bowl of rice in front of himself.

No one spoke during the meal. The only sound was the faint ticking of the clock in the living room.

Simon Lockwood finished first. He sat upright on the stool without moving, his gaze lowered as if pondering something. Hearing her get up, he spoke slowly, ”Did I do something wrong?”

Surprised by his sharpness, Joanna Kennedy decided not to hide it any longer. ”I called property management just now,” she said bluntly.

She didn’t say why she called or what she asked. In the world of adults, sometimes a hint is enough. Spelling things out would only make matters worse.

’No wonder she’s angry.’ Silence. A long, drawn-out silence. ”I’m sorry...” Simon Lockwood’s voice was hoarse.

”It’s fine.”

Joanna Kennedy didn’t show any anger at his deception. Instead, she was very calm as she voiced the words she had been mulling over for a long time. ”Mr. Lockwood, in the future... please don’t do this again.”

”I don’t know what your goal was, and I don’t want to know.” Joanna Kennedy’s tone was placid. ”But your behavior today... I found it repulsive.”

She hated uncertainty and people who suddenly disrupted her rhythm. It made her feel insecure. Simon Lockwood’s actions today had truly gotten under her skin.

She had turned several words over in her mind, but in the end, she chose the single most hurtful one she could: ”repulsive.”

’Forgot his keys and couldn’t get home... Heh.’

Joanna Kennedy couldn’t understand why Simon Lockwood would lie. Just to get her to invite him in?

A man she had only met twice, whose name she had just learned today, had used such a clumsy excuse to trick her. If he didn’t have such a handsome face, Joanna Kennedy would have really thought he was a pervert.

In fact, even with his good looks, this kind of behavior was hardly that of a gentleman.

”I’m sorry...” Simon Lockwood said again.

It was as if besides those two words, ”I’m sorry,” he didn’t know what else to say to atone for his mistake. He seemed awkward and tongue-tied.

The front door clicked shut, and the air fell silent.

Joanna Kennedy stared at the nearly empty dishes on the table and the other empty bowl, her frustration gradually building. After a long moment, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and cursed, ”Shit!”

’Lying to me was one thing, and eating at my place was another, but now I’m the one stuck washing the dishes! Why did he have to make so much food for no reason? To show off his cooking skills?!’

Joanna Kennedy glared resentfully at the table, completely forgetting how happily she had been eating just a little while ago.

As if to vent, Joanna Kennedy’s movements were rough as she cleared the table, the bowls and plates clattering loudly against each other.

Outside the door, the tall man stood silently. With his hearing aid turned to the maximum volume, he could faintly hear the noises inside. He stood there for an unknown amount of time, only slowly turning to leave when the light from under the door went out.

He didn’t blame Joanna Kennedy for forgetting him. He was just... a little sad. Only a little.

His phone rang several times, but Simon Lockwood didn’t answer. He already knew what it was about.

In a pavilion in the Sinclair Family garden, a man in a sharp suit with a gentle demeanor lowered his phone.

”He’s not picking up?” a stern old man in a Tang suit sitting nearby asked with a frown. When he received an affirmative answer, he slammed his hand on the table in anger. ”He won’t come home, and he won’t answer his phone! This is outrageous!”

”Third Brother has been abroad for so many years; it’s inevitable that he’s a bit rebellious. I’ll just go pick him up for the family banquet in a few days,” Jasper Sinclair said with a smile, though there wasn’t a trace of mirth in his eyes.

”Pick him up? Let him come or not! What would it look like for you, his eldest brother, to have to go and invite him!” the old man boomed. Although his words were angry, his tone had softened. Jasper Sinclair understood perfectly, and a hint of mockery entered his eyes.

After the old man left, he picked up the long-cold tea, took a sip, and spoke to the empty space around him. ”What did you find?”

A figure flickered in the darkness. A bodyguard in black appeared silently in the pavilion, bowing as he offered a manila envelope.

Jasper Sinclair didn’t take it. ”Open it,” he said, his tone flat.

The manila envelope was opened, revealing several pages inside, densely packed with text. It appeared to be an investigation report on someone, so detailed that it even recorded where the person went every day.

”The young master... Young Master Lockwood doesn’t have many friends and has very few social activities. This is everything we could find from the past few years.” The bodyguard in black met the man’s sharp gaze and tactfully corrected his form of address.

”Watch your mouth,” Jasper Sinclair said, withdrawing his gaze, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

’What ”young master”? Just a pathetic worm who doesn’t even have the right to the surname ”Sinclair.” Even if he’s been brought back, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s an illegitimate son.’

Jasper Sinclair didn’t take this cheap half-brother of his seriously. He was just puzzled. He had clearly sent mercenaries to take care of his half-brother, so why was he brought back perfectly fine?

He didn’t doubt the mercenaries’ abilities, which meant the problem could only lie with Simon Lockwood himself.